By: M. Antonio Silas
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Resident Evil has had a long and successful run as one of Capcom’s flagship franchises. When the series originally debuted in 1996, it was met with both critical and commercial success, and has sold over 46 million copies worldwide.
Resident Evil has historically been defined by the various frightening enemies you encounter during a play-through of the game, ranging from zombies to giant creatures with claws known as hunters. With the more recent entries, notably Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 5, the series has progressively departed from being a genre-defining survival horror title to more of a hybrid between an action and puzzle–solving , which has met both praise and criticism.
To start 2012 with a bang, Capcom whets salivating RE fans’ appetites with a brand-new trailer for the newest entrant to the series, Resident Evil 6. The trailer starts out by showing flashbacks of Leon Kennedy, the protagonist of RE2 and RE4, pointing a gun at an unknown assailant. He then begins having flashbacks of conversations with an old friend that seems to be a government official.
The conversations quickly take a turn for the worst when it’s revealed that Leon’s old friend has mutated into a zombie. Leon tells his former friend several times to stop walking towards him, but the zombie then lunges and the screen goes black. We then hear a gunshot and Leon screaming, “Mr. President!”
It can be gathered from the trailer that the T-virus, a virus developed by the Umbrella Corporation that is responsible for the mutation of humans, has spread outside of the United States. Chris Redfield, the protagonist from RE1 and RE5, is shown battling various monsters in China.
It seems that Resident Evil 6 will also have new gameplay mechanics, including using various items for melee combat and a duck-and-cover system similar to the one made popular by the Gears of War series. Parts of the trailer also suggest that the series may go back to its terrifying survival horror roots, at least for some part of the game.
A recent statement from producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi offers some insight:
“From the outset the team’s intention was to create an experience that delivers a gripping storyline, tense single-player and co-op action all set against a constant theme of horror. We are calling this fusion ‘dramatic horror’ and are confident it will resonate with both existing fans of the series as well as newcomers.”
While the trailer is exciting, it seems that fans will have to wait a while until they are actually able to get their hands on the final product. Resident Evil 6 is due out November 30, 2012 for Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC.
For more information on the game, go to ResidentEvil.com and follow updates on Twitter @RE_Games
